Elements of the Climatic System:

The Earth's climate system is a compilation of the following components and their
interactions-

The atmosphere

The hydrosphere, including the oceans and all other reservoirs of water in liquid
form, which are the main source of moisture for precipitation and which exchange
gases, such as CO2, and particles, such as salt, with the atmosphere.

The land masses, which affect the flow of atmosphere and oceans through their
morphology (i.e. topography, vegetation cover and roughness), the hydrological
cycle (i.e. their ability to store water) and their radiative properties as matter
(solids, liquids, and gases) blown by the winds or ejected from earth's interior in
volcanic eruptions.

The cryosphere, or the ice component of the climate system, whether on land or
at the ocean's surface, that plays a special role in the Earth radiation balance and
in determining the properties of the deep ocean.

The biota - all forms of life - that through respiration and other chemical
interactions affects the composition and physical properties air and water. The
biosphere is that part of Earth's atmosphere, land, oceans that supports any
living plant, animal, or organism. It is the place where plants and animals,
including humans, live. Large quantities of carbon dioxide are exchanged
between the land-based biosphere and the atmosphere as plants take in carbon
dioxide and give off oxygen, and animals inhale oxygen and exhale carbon
dioxide.

The Earth has periods of time when the temperature rises (warming cycles) and periods
when the temperature drops (cooling cycles) it is a series of natural cycles of our planet.
The Sun and it's level of solar activity has an major influence on these cycles.

Today climate change and global warming are receiving unprecedented attention due
to the possibility that human activity on Earth during the past couple hundred years will
lead to significantly large and rapid changes in environmental conditions.